The Trump administration has significantly expanded its efforts to strip U.S. citizenship from naturalized Americans, issuing new internal guidance that sets aggressive monthly targets for denaturalization cases. According to documents obtained from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), field offices across the country have been instructed to identify and refer between 100 and 200 cases per month to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the 2026 fiscal year. This directive represents a massive surge in enforcement, as the total number of denaturalization cases filed between 2017 and early 2025 was just over 120.
Under the expanded program, hundreds of trained officers at more than 80 field offices are reviewing past naturalization approvals to uncover instances of fraud, misrepresentation, or the concealment of material facts. While the government has historically reserved denaturalization for extreme cases involving war crimes or terrorism, the current administration has broadened its scope to include individuals suspected of “any material misrepresentation,” including nondisclosure of minor criminal records or the use of multiple identities in decades-old files. Attorney General Pam Bondi has instructed federal prosecutors to prioritize these cases, citing the need to “restore integrity” to the immigration system.
The move has triggered a wave of legal challenges and condemnation from civil rights groups. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) argue that the “quota-based” approach risks turning a rare legal tool into a “blunt instrument” for political persecution. Legal experts point to Supreme Court precedents, such as the 2017 Maslenjak v. United States ruling, which established that minor lies or omissions do not warrant the revocation of citizenship unless they directly influenced the initial award of status. Advocates warn that the current push creates a “second class of citizenship” for the 25 million naturalized Americans currently living in the United States.
President Donald Trump has defended the “zero-tolerance” policy on social media, framing it as a national security necessity. However, critics like Representative Grace Meng and various diaspora leaders argue the policy targets law-abiding citizens who have contributed to the nation for years. As the first wave of cases under the 2026 guidance reaches federal courts, the judiciary is expected to face intense pressure to define the limits of executive power over the permanence of U.S. citizenship. These developments signal a period of unprecedented uncertainty for naturalized citizens and their families.
